Bed Siderail Support Structure to Prevent Patient Entrapment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hospital bed siderails pose a risk of trapping patients between the siderail and the bed, particularly during the lowering operation, due to pinch points and gaps that can entrap body parts.
Innovation Solution
The siderail design includes end portions that extend lower than the central portion to minimize gaps with the bed structure, and support arms with sloping surfaces that form a continuous face with the siderail edges, preventing entrapment by eliminating gaps between the siderail and the bed frame.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the siderail is made movable to permit patient exit and medical attendance, then the ease of operation is improved, but the risk of patient entrapment between the siderail and bed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support arms are designed with sloping surfaces that curve continuously from the bed frame to the siderail, eliminating sharp angles and pinch points where patients could become trapped. The curved geometry ensures that no portion of a patient's body can be wedged between the moving siderail and the bed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is divided into multiple segments including the bed frame, support arms with sloping surfaces, and the siderail itself. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall safety, with the sloping surfaces of the support arms specifically designed to prevent entrapment.
2Productivity
If the siderail is lowered to mid-position or storage position using a four bar link mechanism, then the productivity is improved, but the harmful factor of trapping patient body parts during lowering increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sloping surfaces of the support arms maintain their curved geometry throughout the entire range of motion during lowering operations. This continuous curved surface ensures that even when the siderail is moving to mid-position or storage position, no pinch points or trapping hazards are created between the support arms and the bed frame.
3Reliability
If the support arms are configured with sloping surfaces to form continuous faces with the siderail, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sloping surfaces of the support arms are designed to merge continuously with the edges of the siderail, creating a seamless continuous face. This merging eliminates gaps and pinch points without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms, achieving enhanced safety through integrated design rather than added complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A siderail and support mechanism for a bed includes a siderail having a head edge and a foot edge. First and second support arms having upper and lower pivot shafts are configured to pivotally attach the siderail to a bed. At least one of the first support arm and the second support arm includes an edge configured to form a continuous face with one of the head edge and the foot edge of the siderail. In a further embodiment, a bed siderail and support mechanism includes a siderail for a bed including a central portion and at least one end portion. The end portion is configured to extend lower than the central portion to closely cooperate with a bed structure for preventing a patient from being trapped between the siderail and the bed. The siderails are configured to minimize potential trapping hazards.